News On Japan

Massive Hose Washes Ashore in Ishikawa

Ishikawa - A gigantic Chinese-made hose measuring about 150 meters in length, up to 2 meters in diameter, and weighing an estimated 300 tons has washed ashore on the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture, prompting local authorities to launch a large-scale removal operation.

The hose measuring about 150 meters long was found on the coast of Nishikai Kazenashi in Shika, Ishikawa Prefecture, after the town reported in December that it had been drifting offshore near Togi Fishing Port before eventually washing ashore.

Investigators determined that the hose was used in dredging operations to remove sediment from the seabed. The name of a Chinese manufacturer was found on the hose, but authorities have been unable to identify its owner or determine how it traveled to the coast of Ishikawa.

The prefectural government plans to begin removal work on June 15 using a national subsidy program for marine debris cleanup. The operation is expected to cost approximately 50 million yen.

Officials say the circumstances surrounding the hose's arrival remain unknown.

Source: 石川テレビ公式チャンネル

News On Japan
POPULAR NEWS

The death toll from the record-breaking heavy rain in Chiba Prefecture has risen to eight, with one person still missing and damage reported to at least 170 homes as flooding, landslides, water outages and transport disruptions continued on August 14.

Japan's weather agency raised the volcanic alert level for Mount Aso in Kumamoto Prefecture from Level 2 to Level 3 on August 14 after volcanic tremors strengthened and gas emissions increased sharply, warning people to stay away from areas within about 2 kilometers of the Nakadake No. 1 crater.

Typhoon No. 17 (Nangka) remained near Minamitorishima as of 3 a.m. on August 14 and is expected to stay relatively weak, but forecasters warned that high waves and sudden swells could affect Japan's Pacific coast, posing a risk to swimmers and others enjoying marine activities during the summer holiday period.

Google opened its first flagship store in Japan in Tokyo's Omotesando district at 2 p.m. on August 13, marking the company's first flagship retail location outside the United States.

A mysterious red light stretching vertically across the night sky over Kanagawa Prefecture has been identified as a rare "sprite," a brief luminous phenomenon that occurs high above thunderclouds at roughly the same time as powerful lightning strikes.

MEDIA CHANNELS
         

MORE Society NEWS

Two pet pythons measuring about 2 meters in length escaped from an apartment in Kawasaki's Tama Ward early on August 13, prompting police and firefighters to search the surrounding residential area and warn local residents.

Fifteen days after the Kumamoto earthquake, restoration of electricity and transport infrastructure is progressing, but thousands of people are believed to remain outside official shelters, while rising construction costs and interest rates are creating new challenges for rebuilding homes and restoring livelihoods.

Two teenage boys from Tokyo's Adachi Ward have been arrested on suspicion of stealing a motorcycle and firing aerial fireworks toward police officers at two police boxes, telling investigators they were annoyed that a new police box had opened in the area.

Hiroko Saito was 19 years old when she left Japan for North Korea in June 1961 with her Korean husband and their one-year-old daughter, persuaded by assurances that they were heading to a "paradise on earth" and that she could return to Japan after three years. Instead, she would spend four decades in North Korea, enduring chronic hunger, the deaths of her husband and children and a desperate struggle to survive before finally escaping and returning home in 2001.

A fire broke out late on August 11 at Daido Steel's Chita Plant in Tokai, Aichi Prefecture, burning through an outdoor area containing scrap metal and other materials, with no injuries reported and no flames spreading to nearby buildings.

Two weeks after the Kumamoto earthquake, the spread of malicious fake images has emerged as a problem in disaster-hit communities, with one resident saying the manipulation feels like an insult to everyone in his area.

Osaka Prefectural Police searched an office linked to the Yamaguchi-gumi crime syndicate in Toyohashi, Aichi Prefecture, on July 29 as part of an investigation into suspected receipt of money obtained through special fraud.

Authorities in Kyoto and Osaka have arrested three men in separate drug cases involving so-called zombie cigarettes containing the designated drug etomidate, as investigators step up efforts against the illegal trade in the Kansai region.